Do you ever feel like you are slipping away? Like the days go by and pass, one after the other. You shuffle around getting through the days mostly unscathed, doing all the required and necessary things you have to do while also trying to squeeze in a little down time, me time, you time, good time? But you never really feel on top of your game?
The holidays will be upon us soon, bringing with them a whirlwind of shopping lists, cooking, entertaining, social gathering. Then you will blink and it will be 2010. Just like last year, when it became 2009 and you looked around in shock wondering where the hell did another year go?
WELL WAKE UP! THIS IS YOUR LIFE!
Sorry. I apologize for that outburst.
That’s actually not the real me talking. You see I just went to this seminar where I heard Marjorie Brody give a motivational and empowering speech and I guess I got a little carried away. Let me try that again:
WAKE UP! THIS IS YOUR LIFE!
Sorry. I guess she got to me more than I want to admit. She got to me so much, that I want to pass along some of the ways I have been inspired. But keep in mind that I’m learning here, so if my motivational skills are rough around the edges, I do apologize.
So, let’s see. First you need to WAKE UP! And then you need to LIVE YOUR LIFE!
Are you with me so far? Good. Wow, I really can do this.
Oh, by the way. WAKE UP! LIVE YOUR LIFE! is actually my own little pep talk. It really has no bearing whatsoever on what Ms. Brody spoke about. In fact, it doesn’t even come close to the motivational speech she gave, which was about self promition.
It is however, the important message I took away from it all.
The seminar was put together by eWomenNetwork. My friend asked me if I wanted to go because the topic (Market your Magic) seemed interesting. Once we were there however, we quickly realized that we had made a huge mistake.
The luncheon was basically an “accelerated networking” luncheon, sort of like speed dating only for business women. A place where all these amazing woman gather to promote or grow their businesses. I am telling you, it is really something to be a in a room full of such bright, ambitious, successful and super nice women. (I’ve never been to BlogHer, so this was sorta new to me)
But like I said, we quickly realized that we were probably in the wrong place. We really had nothing to offer. We weren’t promoting our company, we had no marketable products or skills that we wanted to sell. We were just there to hear the speaker. So as you can imagine, there were some awkward moments to say the least. Basically, every time a woman said, “Hello, my name is…” We had to explain that we didn’t have a business or product to sell. Yet, somehow we muddled through until then they made us go around the table and inform everyone what we had came to this luncheon to offer and what we were also hoping to find.
Um. Gee. Well. Er. Let me see…
So I chucked caution to the wind and pushed all prudence aside. Instead of telling them about my job or my company, I told these woman that I was a blogger. I had a blog to offer. And what I was looking for was more involvement with my community so I would have more interesting and meaningful things to write about, more helpful services to promote and recommend, etc.
WOW!
First off, let me tell you how awesome that felt to talk about something which has nothing to do with my job, my employer, my spouse, my child, my family or my kitchen sink. Second, let me tell you just how many of these woman were actually interested and wanted to know more about setting up a blog, writing for a blog, just breaking into the social networking world in general.
Turns out I did have something to offer! Turns out I got A LOT of what I was looking for!
WOW!
Honestly, I had do idea just how much I needed to put the roles I play aside and tap into my core self. Venture out there and tread new ground, talking about blogging and social networking as a business tool, talent and skill that I have knowledge about. Mind you, I am not going to quit my job and start a new business. But I did find that the whole experience inspired me to kick start myself. Ms. Brody talked about three things which hit me hard:
- Increase your knowledge
- Learn new skills
- Take risks
Three things needed to grow your own business and market yourself. But also three things needed to grow your own person and take care of yourself.
The night before this seminar, I went to the Ballet. It was wonderful! And I came back home after two hours of pure blissful entertainment so happy. Ballet is my thing, you see. Not my daughter’s, not my husband’s, not my employer’s. It’s 100% my thing and I reveled in it for two hours. But in the end, it was only two hours and then it was over. A great escape, sure. But I don’t want to escape my life, I want to expand it.
- I need to increase my knowledge. What ignites me? What do I want to learn more about? - and not something that has to do with identifying mold, understanding javascript or managing a family budget.
- I need to acquire more skills. What interest me? What do I want to learn how to do? - and not perfecting my parenting skills or learning a new coding language or mastering a new recipe.
- I need to take risks! What have I been holding back from? What would put me out there in unfamiliar, yet exciting territory? - and not changing jobs in IT or changing elementary schools or changing my 401 investment.
In other words, let’s take care of me for a change.
Going to that seminar was great. The best money I have spent in a long time. It was like paying a group of smart women therapists to talk about me. Recognize me. Value me. But not me as a mother, wife, employee, sister, daughter, worker, maid, cook, caretaker. Just me.
Indeed, it motivated me. It made me WAKE UP! It made me want to LIVE MY LIFE!
I already know one of the risks I plan to take (maybe I will have the guts to tell you about it later). But for the skills and knowledge, I am still searching. When was the last time you were inspired or motivated? What came out of that?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 05:45PM 
